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Draft Preview 2017
The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947. In each issue, you'll find news, features and opinions about the NHL and leagues across North America and the world.
TIME TO MOVE THE NEEDLE
THE JETS TOPPED the Future Watch rankings yet again and missed the playoffs yet again. There’s no denying their enviable collection of young talent, led by Patrik Laine, Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers, but they need to start winning. They’ve reached the big dance once in six years since moving from Atlanta. General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff has a surplus of skilled youth and should consider selling picks or prospects to improve right now. IMMEDIATE NEEDS: Connor Hellebuyck has time to fulfill his potential as Winnipeg’s long-term No. 1 goaltender, but his development didn’t progress as expected in 2016- 17. The Jets could lose Michael Hutchinson to the expansion draft, in which case they’ll want an experienced backup. They also need help with their bottom-six forward group, which was overmatched, and in…
RANKINGS
NO. 3 PROSPECT GABE VILARDI WHILE IT IS TRUE there will be no Connor Mc- David or Auston Matthews in the 2017 draft class, please remember: talent does not have to be generational. This year’s crop of prospects may take longer to make an NHL impact, but there are some nice options available and some interesting sleepers for teams that do their research. Expect chaos in Chicago, as scouts know that, more than ever, a first-rounder for one team may only be a third-rounder in the eyes of another. And let’s not forget Vegas. With the addition of the Golden Knights to the NHL, there are now 31 slots per round (excluding compensatory picks), so we have expanded our write-ups accordingly. With apologies to Spinal Tap, our expanded profiles now go to 62. The…
HOARDING PROSPECTS
THE DEVILS NEED a lot right now, so they’re picking a lot. New Jersey made nine selections last year under GM Ray Shero, and the franchise is slated to pick seven times in the first four rounds alone this time out. That breadth of picks allowed the team to go after prospects at every position, with different development curves. And now they have the first pick overall. IMMEDIATE NEEDS: New Jersey has one of the worst offenses in the NHL, and goalie Cory Schneider was the only reason the team’s goalsagainst wasn’t dead last, too. There are some guns up front (Taylor Hall, Kyle Palmieri), but the defense needs some serious top-four talent right away. The pipeline has already been tapped, so reinforcements need to come in the form of trades…
CAN’T-MISS SWISS
NO. 2 PROSPECT NICO HISCHIER THE LITTLE VILLAGE of Naters looks like something that should be captured in a snow globe, a place where beautiful people smile and laugh as they skip off to go skiing in the Alps before hitting the spa. Within 15 minutes, you can be 2,000 meters above the base of the mountains with nothing between your ski tips and the chalet but soft, powdered snow. Nestled in the Great Aletsch Glacier, where there are 48 mountains with elevations of more than 4,000 meters, the Matterhorn, (yes, that Matterhorn) is less than 45 minutes away. It was there that little Nico Hischier took the hint. Which is why he spent as much time snowboarding and skiing as he did playing hockey when he was a kid. Not being…
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